Teenagers

So much cooler today! Very pleasant- cloudy and overcast, but cool. When the kids went boating this afternoon, one young lady didn't feel well, so she stayed here at camp. Her name is Narcisa (Nar-chee-sa), isn't that pretty? She and I made paper flowers for about an hour. Even though she's shy and we speak different languages, we managed to get along very nicely. The children study English through high school, so even if they don't speak fluently, they understand much.

Have I told you about the coo-coo birds? They call coo-coo throughout the day, but especially in the afternoons. Always on the same pitch. I suppose there's a law about smuggling birds out of the country, so I'll refrain.

In a way, I miss the younger children. They loved to hold hands with us. And Marty, Sharon and I loved being grandmothers to them all. The teenagers are polite and somewhat curious about us, but they are teenagers. I guess it's the same with teenagers everywhere, in Romania and America.

Bible study time, on the other hand, is amazing with these kids. Their deep thoughts are troubling. Very few good role models- children who went through the "system" and on to lead happy, productive lives - are few. Although the law requires that they stay in school until age 18, it us very difficult to actually graduate. Very few of these kids will attend university. Mary says it's hard to teach them about God's love, because they don't feel loved. Mary focuses on Hope through Christ.

We continued today with previous activities: scavenger hunt, building birdhouses, song time, outdoor games, etc. Tonight at 9, we're watching a movie. It's Romanian but has English subtitles. I'll try to keep up.

Mrs. Dinu is preparing the same meals as the last camp, only there's more food for the big kids. At lunch and dinner, I shared a table with four boys. They put food away just like my Paul did at that age. At lunch today, we had soup. (There's always soup first!) the boys at my table asked Mrs. Dinu if we would have another course. Not in a disrespectful way, but in a sweet way. She teased them by saying it was a light lunch today. Then she came out of the kitchen with platters full of sausage and cabbage, laughing all the way. I like Mrs. Dinu and think we could be good friends.

Have I told you about Hotel Egreta? I think you can google it. It's about a mile from us, on the delta in the bird sanctuary. Maybe the website has a map and you'll know our location. For a treat, we went there for dessert a couple of days ago after the kids went to bed. They have air conditioning and ICE!. Very nice!

Please pray for these young people. Their future will be a struggle. Few opportunities exist. Most of them smoke, though they want to quit. Shops sell cigaretes individually to them. Very sad. Mary says it helps the hunger.

Almost movie time. Please forgive me if I ramble and repeat myself. I work on these posts in small segments throughout the day and usually loose my train if thought.

Dear Lord,
Bless these teenagers. Grant them peace, courage and hope. Show them your love through us, Lord, and show us the way to love them. Give us the tools to lead them positively. Show us the path, Lord, and we will follow. We will hold your people in our heart.
In Christ name we pray, Amen.